Gambling drove attorney to rob bank

March 11, 2002|By Peter Comings

GAYLORD - Michael Allen Kenny, an attorney for Nelson, Petruska and Hart in Gaylord, admitted in a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Flint he robbed $4,340 from the Standard Federal Bank in Saginaw on Tuesday.

In the complaint Kenny made a complete confession to the event, telling investigators he had a severe gambling problem. The report no-ted the 37-year-old father of one left Gaylord Monday to look for a bank to rob apparently in an effort to cover several nonsufficient funds checks.

Kenny is being held in the Bay County jail for federal authorities. He is represented by federal defender David Koelzer of Flint who declined comment Thursday.

"He will not practice law in our office," Gene Petruska, senior partner with Nelson, Petruska and Hart, said Thursday morning, still disbelieving of recent events. "Mike came to us as an assistant prosecutor. He was well respected in the legal community. We're getting calls and comments from the judges and magistrates, the entire legal community, who are in shock. The law enforcement involved with this have been in contact and they have even expressed their shock. They have indicated he is fully cooperating with them."

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Kenny, who was hired by the firm five years ago, handled workers' compensation and social security cases. Petruska assured Ken-ny's clients would be represented by other attorneys within the office.

Kenny has been ordered to be sent to the Federal Corrections Institute in Milan for a psychiatric and psychological evaluation. The evaluation is expected to be completed within 30 days after which the court will schedule a preliminary examination and a detention hearing before Magistrate Charles Binder in Bay City.

"We describe him as a 'gentle giant'," said Petruska. "That's why we're so stunned and shocked. He loves his son. He had a great sense of humor. There was nothing in his demeanor that would indicate he was capable of doing what happened."

According to the report the robbery took place Tuesday afternoon at 3:37 after Kenny had driven around the block several times. He had purchased a BB gun at the Flint Wal Mart Monday though there was no indication in the report that the weapon was used in the crime. Witnesses at the bank at the time of the robbery described the perpetrator as a 35-year-old white male, six feet tall, wearing a tan baseball hat, blue sport coat, khaki pants, sunglasses and carrying a briefcase.

The robber left the bank in a small silver vehicle soon afterward spotted by a Saginaw detective. Kenny, later taken from the vehicle, led police on a chase southbound on I-675. At one point Kenny's vehicle struck a marked unit of the Saginaw Police Dept. resulting in minor injuries to an officer.

In the complaint Kenny is noted as saying he intended to return to Gaylord with the money but saw a marked Michigan State Police vehicle with its lights activated as he tried to reach I-675, initiating the chase.